Occidental Drops Final Non-Conference Game

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 8, 2009) – In the final non-conference game of the spring for the Tigers, Occidental College managed to avoid being shutout for the second consecutive outing, but fell to NAIA Division I Vanguard University, 12-1, at Anderson Field this afternoon.

The game was scoreless through two innings, but things fell apart for the Tigers in the third inning when the Lions strung together four hits, the last a three-run homerun, to put Oxy in a 4-0 hole. That deficit doubled in the fourth inning when a solo homerun started things off and again Vanguard scored four times on four hits. Three more Lions’ crossed the plate in the sixth before Oxy got on the board.

Junior shortstop Jason Jebbia, who had two of the Tigers’ three hits, singled to lead off the inning and moved to third on a Glenn Gray double to left field. Jebbia then touched the plate when left fielder Steve Schaffer grounded out to the right side of the infield. Unfortunately, that was all the offense the Tigers would muster in the game.

Oxy used nine different pitchers in the contest. The sophomore hurlers of Ross Pomerantz, who got the start, Kris Suzuki, Nicholas Smallman and Brooks Belter all threw hitless innings for the Tigers.

Defensively the black and orange were solid, playing errorless baseball.

Occidental (10-18, 0-9 SCIAC) will return to conference play this Friday when they travel to Claremont, Calif. to take on the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.